Analysis of the Causes of Pig Biting and Fighting and Prevention and Control Measures

In recent years, with the continuous development of large-scale @#@227@#@ in various regions, under the environment of raising multiple pigs in one pen, the phenomenon of pigs biting and fighting each other is more commonly seen when pigs are first grouped, generally with a higher incidence rate among growing-finishing pigs of 20-40 kg. At first, only a few pigs in the same pen bite and fight each other, mainly biting the head and tail; after being bitten, blood flows out, and pigs develop pica for blood, gradually leading to more pigs biting and fighting each other and more severely. The bitten pigs huddle in corners, have poor appetite, and their weight gain is affected. If severe injuries are not treated promptly, wound infection can also cause death. Pig biting and fighting directly affects the health and growth of pigs, and if no way is found to control it, it will cause certain economic losses to pig farmers. For this reason, the author, combining pig production practice, now introduces the causes of pig biting and fighting and prevention and control measures as follows.

I. Causes of pig biting and fighting. Pig biting and fighting is a kind of vice in pigs, and the causes of this vice are also many-sided. To sum up, they can generally be summarized into the following points:

1. Effects of stress factors: such as abnormal weather changes, excessively high temperature in the pig house, excessively high humidity, excessively high concentration of harmful gases in the house, excessively strong light in the house, and various frightening stimuli to pigs.

2. Excessive group size or excessively high raising density in the house: the raising area per pig is less than 1 square meter, greatly increasing the probability of mutual contact and conflict among pigs, and the activities of pigs are restricted. This is a predisposing factor for the occurrence of biting and fighting. In addition, pigs have social hierarchy behavior. After pigs are grouped, they will first bite each other, and then establish an obvious ranking relationship according to physical strength. If the pig group is too large, it is difficult to establish ranking, thereby causing frequent mutual biting and fighting.

3. Unbalanced nutritional composition of the diet: use of non-complete-price feed or improper nutritional proportions in the feed, especially insufficient content or improper proportions of protein, vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and salt in the feed.

4. Pig sources purchased from multiple market sources or irritating odors: because pigs have weak eyesight but a very developed sense of smell, pigs in the same group rely on smell to identify odors and become familiar with each other. However, the source of piglets used for fattening is not solved by self-breeding and self-raising, but by purchasing from outside farmers' markets. Pig sources come from all directions. When pigs are grouped, because they are not born to the same sow, they have different odors. Under such circumstances, pigs are prone to biting and fighting.

5. Other reasons: such as a small trough in the pen or insufficient drinking positions, pigs easily bite and fight each other when competing for food and water. Sometimes, because pigs have internal and external parasites, such as lice, sarcoptic mange mites, roundworms, etc., the pig skin is itchy and irritated, and pig biting and fighting behavior can also occur.

II. Prevention and control measures

1. Adhere to self-breeding and self-raising in pig farming: breeding pigs should be introduced from designated breeding pig farms, and pig farming should adopt self-breeding and self-raising. The piglets bred are raised by the farm itself, and good feeding management and sanitation and epidemic prevention work should be done. This can not only reduce pig biting and fighting, but also prevent the occurrence of various infectious diseases.

2. Group pigs reasonably: when grouping pigs, it is best to take pigs from the same litter as one group. When pigs from different litters and different sources need to be raised together, pigs with similar body weight, size, and nervous type should be selected as much as possible and placed in the same pen. According to the biological characteristics of pigs, the following methods can be used when grouping: keep the weak and do not keep the strong; keep the weaker pigs in the original pen, and move the stronger ones into another pen to form a group for raising; move the many and do not move the few; keep the pen with fewer pigs as the original pen, and move the larger number into the pig group with fewer pigs; combine at night and do not combine during the day; when grouping, do it as much as possible at night before the pigs eat. After grouping, it should remain relatively stable and not be changed arbitrarily. The size of the pig group is generally about 10 pigs, and the density should not be too high, generally about 1 square meter per pig on average, and the fattening effect can reach a relatively good level.

3. Timely treatment: when bitten pigs are found in the pig group, they should be isolated and raised in time, and symptomatic treatment should be carried out. The bitten parts can be cleaned and disinfected with 0.1% potassium permanganate solution, and iodine tincture can be applied. For severe bites, in order to prevent secondary infection, antibiotics can also be used for treatment.

4. Strengthen feeding management of pigs: feed and water pigs at fixed times every day, and feed complete-price compound feed with comprehensive nutrition according to the nutritional needs of different growth stages. Special attention should be paid to the content and proportion of protein, vitamins, and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. The size of the trough and the amount of feed given should be appropriate, so that each pig can eat and eat its fill without wasting feed. The pig house should preferably use nipple drinkers so that pigs can drink freely, ensuring fresh and sufficient drinking water and preventing water from being contaminated by bacteria and viruses. Attention should be paid to environmental control of temperature, humidity, ventilation, and light in the pig house. If biting and fighting are found, they must be stopped immediately.

5. Regularly deworm and timely dock tails: carry out regular preventive deworming of pigs in spring and autumn each year. For internal parasites, generally deworm twice: the first time in weaned piglets of 10-20 kg, and the second time in growing-finishing pigs of about 50-60 kg body weight. For external parasites such as lice and sarcoptic mange mites, medication should be used 1-2 weeks before the sow gives birth to reduce piglet infection. Drugs can be selected from albendazole, levamisole, and ivermectin drugs, etc. Piglets can be tail-docked within 1-2 days after birth; the earlier it is done, the less stress to the pig. Practice has proved that the incidence of biting and fighting in piglets without tail docking is significantly higher than in piglets with tail docking.